For trainer Joel Diaz, the cycle has come full circle within the walls of his storied Indio, California gym, from the rush of excitement over witnessing the incredible talent of a juvenile Terence Crawford to plotting Crawford’s revenge against Diaz’s junior middleweight champion, Israil Madrimov.
“It’s a very arduous task. Terence Crawford is the best fighter in the world, no weight divisions, and he’s very versatile. It’s an honor to work on a plan to beat him. We have a good strategy with a good fighter,” Diaz said on ProBox TV.
Three-division champion Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) will fight for the fourth-division title against World Boxing Association titleholder Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) in Saturday’s main event at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. A win could put Crawford one step closer to a meeting with four-division champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
While Diaz knows that Nebraska’s Crawford lives an forthright life and wields power with both hands, the same can be said about Uzbekistan’s Madrimov.
“You don’t know what to expect from Crawford, and Madrimov is the same. They both dominate their positions on both sides [sides]so we had good left-handed, right-handed, swift hitters, so we can be ready,” Diaz said. “We’ll look at Plan A, B and C against Terence Crawford. We know [who] “we enter the ring against.”
Indeed, it was a juvenile Crawford, with just 10 professional fights under his belt, who was sent to Indio by his then-manager Cameron Dunkin to train with another Dunkin fighter, future two-division champion Timothy Bradley Jr., who would later become a Hall of Famer.
Crawford was a dazzling talent, a flashy talent that allowed him to win world lightweight titles, become the undisputed 140-pound champion and then capture all the welterweight belts by knocking out Errol Spence Jr. by technical knockout in the ninth round a year ago Monday.
But Diaz also witnessed the rise of Madrimov, an established amateur who had more than 300 fights and was looking to make his pro debut against then-154-pound champion Jaime Munguia.
“He was 100 percent disciplined… he makes his opponents uncomfortable and it won’t be basic for Crawford,” Diaz said. “Israil is very confident.”
Crawford will also turn 37 in September and Madrimov weighs in at around 175 pounds, so the seasoned champion has some age and size limitations to overcome.
“Those who know boxing know what age is,” Diaz said. “Every camp has its wear and tear.
“A lot of things give me hope. Crawford was great at 140. Now he’s moving up to 154. Madrimov is a solid 154. We’ll see how Crawford’s punches affect him.”
This theory is based on something they witnessed firsthand when Alvarez returned to lithe heavyweight and was unable to threaten Madrimov’s close friend and teammate, undefeated lithe heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, who was coming off a convincing win in 2022.
“Israil gave me a lot of hope that he would come out victorious,” Diaz said.
Diaz spoke of Madrimov’s supreme level of athleticism. He is a former gymnast who also competes in martial arts.
“He’s getting stronger with every round,” Diaz said. “He’s really astute and has a killer instinct.”
Reflecting on Diaz’s performance, ProBox TV’s “Deep Waters” analyst Paulie Malignaggi said, “Joel Diaz knows how to get the best out of a fighter. Madrimov’s threat is real.”
Analyst Chris Algieri considers Madrimov a “arduous candidate.”
“Diaz just drilled into his head all the arguments why – [Madrimov’s] The change of sides, the fluidity… when you talk about that discipline and experience, it makes the fight that much more intriguing.”
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